Battlefield 3 launches with 3 million pre-orders

Battlefield 3 launches today with roughly three million pre-orders already secured, marking a strong launch for EA's attempt to tackle the Call of Duty franchise.

Battlefield 3 is launching today across all platforms, and already EA is popping the champagne. The game has racked up roughly three million pre-orders, guaranteeing an impressive start for its sales figures. But, even with the impressive feat, the game will have to work all the harder to catch up with Call of Duty's mean sales record.

EA posted the pre-order news yesterday, claiming it's the biggest FPS launch in the company's history. The beta also set the company bar, topping its social online play record with nine million testers.

It's an impressive achievement, but worth keeping in mind that Call of Duty: Black Ops sold roughly 5.6 million on launch day. While predictions show that Modern Warfare 3 will easily top the sales figures of Battlefield 3, it's unlikely EA is going to complain about the millions of dollars it will be banking on DICE's shooter.

Steve Watts

Editor-In-Chief

Steve Watts' youthful memories are are a blur of pixels, princesses, castles, and Mega Busters. After writing about games as a pastime for years, he got his first shot at a paid gig at 1UP. He's freelanced for several sites since then, and found a friendly home at Shacknews. His editorial duties include news, reviews, features, and lunatic ravings. He lives in the Baltimore-Washington area with his shockingly understanding wife.